Chapter: 7
*****
Little hands tapped persistently on Asher's shirt, accompanied by small fingers pulling at the fabric. Her small smacks were insistent, and it didn't matter whether he was ready to wake up or not - she wouldn't stop until he responded. Her voice was low and laced with unshed tears when she spoke. A soft moan escaped her parted lips as her stomach growled again, twisting painfully. For a brief moment, she stopped tapping on Asher to clutch her stomach.
She crumpled down, groaning in discomfort, and waited for the pain to subside. Eventually, it did, and she got back to her feet. This time, she approached Asher's face and smacked it as hard as she could. "Wake up, Sasha, pwease!" she cried. Asher began to stir awake, his swollen eyes greeting the morning light. He groaned in pain from his aching ribs and battered hands.
With great difficulty, Asher managed to sit up on the bed. He tried to pretend he was alright to avoid frightening his little sister further. "What is it, Mily?" he asked, meeting her wet face and watery eyes. "Why are you crying?" He picked her up and sat her beside him on the bed. Despite his painful bruises, Asher attempted to feign normalcy.
"Mily hungry..." she whispered, her eyes darting to the door as if expecting someone to burst in and silence her again. Asher nodded and breathed slowly, gently brushing messy hair from her tear-stained face. Then, he slowly got out of bed. "Sit still, Sasha will bring you a sandwich, okay?" Mily nodded with a faint smile, and Asher made his way to the door.
Asher gently pushed the door open, peering out first to ensure the coast was clear. Satisfied, he slowly made his way toward the kitchen on tiptoes. As he approached their parents' bedroom, he slowed down, careful not to draw attention to himself. However, when he passed by the door, he noticed it was wide open, as it usually was. His parents lay tangled together in bed, naked and fast asleep, their loud snores a reassuring sign that he could proceed with his mission. Asher crossed their bedroom and entered the kitchen.
As expected, all the cabinets were locked, and even the refrigerator had a lock on it. Undeterred, Asher pulled a stool and climbed onto it, reaching for the higher cabinets. There, he found a loaf of bread that was likely already spoiled. He pulled it out and grabbed a plastic spoon before darting back to his bedroom.
Once inside, he shut the door and went under the bed to retrieve the almost empty jar of peanut butter and jelly he had saved for their meals. With practiced ease, he prepared a sandwich for his sister. After tucking the remaining bread and empty jars under the bed, he turned to Emily and handed her the sandwich. Emily smiled and kissed his cheek as she took the bread.
"Thank you, Sasha..." she said, before ripping the sandwich in half and handing the other piece to Asher. They ate silently, Emily finishing her meal quickly. Asher handed her his remaining piece, just as she was about to take a bite. Suddenly, they heard a loud crash from the living room, followed by their father's footsteps. Asher's heart was racing, and his body began to ache all over again. His priority was to keep Emily safe.
****
Asher's eyes snapped open, his chest heaving as if he'd been running for his life. The remnants of the nightmare still lingered, like a toxic fog seeping into his pores. His grip on the bear tightened, he didn't know when he fell asleep but as usual, he had awakened, his entire being disoriented. His heart thundered in his ears, each beat a drumbeat of dread. His breath came in short, ragged gasps as if he was drowning in his own fear.
His body felt electrified, every nerve ending sizzling with anxiety. His skin crawled with a thousand imaginary spiders, making him want to rip his skin off. His mind was a jumble of fragmented thoughts, each one more terrifying than the last. Memories he'd long suppressed came flooding back like a dam had burst in his brain.
The room around him began to distort, the shadows twisting into grotesque shapes that seemed to writhe on the walls. The air was thick with an unseen menace, making it hard to breathe. Asher's vision blurred, and he felt himself being pulled back into the nightmare, back into the darkness he'd thought he'd escaped.
He was trapped, caught in a vortex of fear that threatened to consume him whole. His body began to shake, his limbs trembling like leaves in a hurricane. A low, keening moan built in his throat, a sound that was both a cry for help and a surrender to the terror that had him in its grip.
Asher's world had shrunk to a single, suffocating point: the crushing weight of his own fear. He was lost, alone, and adrift in a sea of anxiety, with no lifeline in sight.
The words "Don't cry, Sasha..." echoed in Asher's mind, and his gaze fell upon the bear still clutched tightly in his arms. He nodded frantically, sniffled, and forced a weak smile. "I'm not crying, Mily, I promise," he muttered, his body slowly calming.
Emily's concerned voice floated into his ears once more. "Does it hurt a lot, Sasha?" Asher shook his head in denial, hugging the bear even tighter. His mind was racing, and sobs threatened to overwhelm him. Just then, the blaring sound of his cheap phone ringing startled him. Slowly, he crawled out of the closet and entered the living room, where he found his phone ringing in the shoulder bag he had left there the previous night.
Asher sat the bear on the sofa and rummaged through the bag for his phone. Captain Lewis's name flashed across the screen, and he immediately fell into a routine, his anxiety fleeing as he pressed the answer button. "Good morning, Captain," he called into the receiver, his heart rate dropping to normal.
A soft pause floated through the line before the woman replied, "You're running late, Fishman." Asher hissed, his eyes falling on the clock on the wall. "I'll be there in a few minutes, Captain, I apologize." His eyes darted around the living room as he spoke.
"There's a briefing in ten minutes, get here before then," Captain Lewis instructed, and the line went dead. Asher hurried back into his bedroom to prepare. From the bathroom, he yelled, "That was my Captain... she's a tough lady, and her parents must have been drunk when they named her Lewis, don't you agree?" His voice reverberated around the room as he prepared quickly for his day.
Once he returned to the living room, Asher leaned down and kissed the bear. "Be safe, Mily, I'll see you tonight." With that, he rushed out, locked his door, and mounted his bike.
***********
Asher swung open the conference room door, a warm glow of fluorescent lights enveloping him as he stepped inside. The air was thick with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the murmur of hushed conversations. The room was abuzz with an undercurrent of tension, the weight of the missing children's case palpable.
Captain Lewis stood at the head of the table, her eyes scanning the room as Asher took his seat beside his teammates. The captain's gaze lingered on him for a moment before she began.
"Alright, let's get started. We've got a situation on our hands, and I don't need to remind you all how dire it is." She nodded to the technician in the corner, who dimmed the lights and activated the projector. A massive screen behind the captain flickered to life, displaying a map of the state with clusters of red pins marking the locations of the missing children.
"We've had five more children go missing in the past 48 hours, bringing the total to 17. The latest victim, 7-year-old Timmy Jenkins, was taken from his bedroom window in the early hours of the morning." The captain's voice was firm, but a hint of frustration seeped through.
Asher's eyes scanned the map, his mind racing with the implications. He noticed that the red pins seemed to be concentrated in a specific area, a pattern beginning to emerge.
The captain continued, "We've got forensics working on the latest scene, but so far, we've got nothing concrete. No witnesses, no surveillance footage, no DNA evidence. It's as if these children are vanishing into thin air."
The room fell silent, the only sound the soft hum of the projector and the quiet scribbling of notes. Asher's eyes met those of his teammates, a sense of determination and urgency passing between them.
Captain Lewis's voice broke the silence, "We need to think outside the box here, people. We need to consider every possibility, no matter how improbable. I want each of you to review the case files, and look for any connections, any patterns. We need to catch a break, and we need it now."
As the captain's words hung in the air, the team nodded in unison, determination etched on their faces. Asher's eyes locked onto the map behind the captain, his mind already racing with possibilities.
Captain Lewis handed out folders containing the updated case files. "I want your findings on my desk by the end of the day. Let's move, people!" The team sprang into action, gathering their belongings and filing out of the conference room.
Asher lagged, his gaze still fixed on the map. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Captain Lewis standing beside him.
"Asher, I need a word with you," she said, her voice low and serious. "Your... unique skillset might come in handy in this case. I want you to review the files, and see if you can find any connections that might have been missed."
Asher nodded, a sense of purpose settling in. "I'm on it, Captain."
With a curt nod, Captain Lewis turned and strode out of the conference room, leaving Asher to his task. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the long hours ahead. The missing children's case was about to get a whole lot more personal. Asher gathered his belongings and followed his teammates out of the conference room, ready to dive straight into the darkest corners of the case.